Excitement and anxiety surround new Gator season

Published: Saturday, August 30, 2014 at 6:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 29, 2014 at 9:38 p.m.

There is nothing like the first game of the season when the big present under the tree can finally be unwrapped and we find out if it's the keys to a new Mercedes or a broken bag of wet garbage.

Or somewhere in between, which is more likely for almost every team in college football.

For the players, there are certainly butterflies hatching and nerves to calm before the first game. It has been so long since they played for real (and longer since these Gators have won) that a portion of their excitement is based simply on seeing players they don't eat and study with across the line of scrimmage.

Think Jeff Driskel is excited?

After spending the majority of last season watching his teammates struggle and hearing from fans who question his judgment, Driskel feels like the kid who got a new pair of six-shooters for his Christmas present.

“I really have felt a lot of excitement in the air,” he said. “A lot of people have come up and said they're looking forward to the season and things of that nature, so I think there's a lot of excitement around our program right now.”

There is, but it's not blind faith for the Gator Nation. As I've made my way around the state speaking to Gator Clubs, I've seen everything from wide-eyed enthusiasm to angry skepticism.

In Sarasota, an alum told me he was more excited for this season than any since Florida's last national title team. In Jacksonville, there was more than one Gator fan who asked me about what it would take to get rid of Will Muschamp.

For the first time since I have been doing these speaking engagements, I had one canceled on me. I didn't take it personally because of the reason I was given — “the members don't have confidence that this coaching staff is going to turn things around.”

In Destin and Pensacola and Tallahassee, there were large crowds of fans licking their wounds with enthusiasm. It was in Tallahassee that Carlos Alvarez went on stage and asked the fans to support their coaches and players.

Which should be the case everywhere. Nobody is trying to lose. It's like I told a Gator fan who called from across the pond this week — “Try to enjoy the season. Don't worry about what might happen.”

But so many fans are like Steve Martin's kid in “Parenthood,” anxiety sucking all of the life out of them because of what might go wrong.

It's one reason there are plenty of tickets remaining for today's game, especially in the student section. But it certainly isn't a fan base riddled with negativity.

I think a lot of people are fired up. Most are cautiously optimistic. At the very least, they're looking forward to getting back to their favorite sport — tailgating.

And they should be. It's football season.

Just the other day I was walking into the gym (stop laughing, I wanted a smoothie) and ran into a friend. I asked him how he was doing and he said, “Great, but I'm not looking forward to football season.”

Fortunately, the nattering nabobs of negativism haven't affected a team that is filled with more confidence than your usual 4-8 team.

“We're excited to get back on the field and play in front of our fans and we're excited to play together,” Driskel said. “Anytime you can play another team rather than yourself, it's always a good experience. But there's nothing really like Game 1. It's a really good feeling coming out of the tunnel.”

Tonight, it begins, another journey with so many potential twists and turns. A program that was the butt of jokes a season ago and carries a seven-game losing streak into the night comes in with attitude and enthusiasm.

“Any time you go through a tough time in your life you reflect, you get humble, you work hard and you pull together and you understand the people around you are close to you,” Muschamp said. “Certainly the people in the building, number one. But within that locker room, number two, and I've seen a very close-knit unit in that locker room, a lot of guys that know how to practice. They know how to practice the right way.

“It's been really a lot of fun in training camp. I really enjoyed being around the guys, and you could see the camaraderie and the togetherness in this football team. I'm looking forward to see them go and compete in front of our fans.”

And, for the most part, vice versa.

Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com. And follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.

<p>There is nothing like the first game of the season when the big present under the tree can finally be unwrapped and we find out if it's the keys to a new Mercedes or a broken bag of wet garbage.</p><p>Or somewhere in between, which is more likely for almost every team in college football.</p><p>For the players, there are certainly butterflies hatching and nerves to calm before the first game. It has been so long since they played for real (and longer since these Gators have won) that a portion of their excitement is based simply on seeing players they don't eat and study with across the line of scrimmage.</p><p>Think Jeff Driskel is excited?</p><p>After spending the majority of last season watching his teammates struggle and hearing from fans who question his judgment, Driskel feels like the kid who got a new pair of six-shooters for his Christmas present.</p><p>“I really have felt a lot of excitement in the air,” he said. “A lot of people have come up and said they're looking forward to the season and things of that nature, so I think there's a lot of excitement around our program right now.”</p><p>There is, but it's not blind faith for the Gator Nation. As I've made my way around the state speaking to Gator Clubs, I've seen everything from wide-eyed enthusiasm to angry skepticism.</p><p>In Sarasota, an alum told me he was more excited for this season than any since Florida's last national title team. In Jacksonville, there was more than one Gator fan who asked me about what it would take to get rid of Will Muschamp.</p><p>For the first time since I have been doing these speaking engagements, I had one canceled on me. I didn't take it personally because of the reason I was given — “the members don't have confidence that this coaching staff is going to turn things around.”</p><p>In Destin and Pensacola and Tallahassee, there were large crowds of fans licking their wounds with enthusiasm. It was in Tallahassee that Carlos Alvarez went on stage and asked the fans to support their coaches and players.</p><p>Which should be the case everywhere. Nobody is trying to lose. It's like I told a Gator fan who called from across the pond this week — “Try to enjoy the season. Don't worry about what might happen.” </p><p>But so many fans are like Steve Martin's kid in “Parenthood,” anxiety sucking all of the life out of them because of what might go wrong.</p><p>It's one reason there are plenty of tickets remaining for today's game, especially in the student section. But it certainly isn't a fan base riddled with negativity.</p><p>I think a lot of people are fired up. Most are cautiously optimistic. At the very least, they're looking forward to getting back to their favorite sport — tailgating.</p><p>And they should be. It's football season.</p><p>Just the other day I was walking into the gym (stop laughing, I wanted a smoothie) and ran into a friend. I asked him how he was doing and he said, “Great, but I'm not looking forward to football season.”</p><p>Fortunately, the nattering nabobs of negativism haven't affected a team that is filled with more confidence than your usual 4-8 team.</p><p>“We're excited to get back on the field and play in front of our fans and we're excited to play together,” Driskel said. “Anytime you can play another team rather than yourself, it's always a good experience. But there's nothing really like Game 1. It's a really good feeling coming out of the tunnel.”</p><p>Tonight, it begins, another journey with so many potential twists and turns. A program that was the butt of jokes a season ago and carries a seven-game losing streak into the night comes in with attitude and enthusiasm.</p><p>“Any time you go through a tough time in your life you reflect, you get humble, you work hard and you pull together and you understand the people around you are close to you,” Muschamp said. “Certainly the people in the building, number one. But within that locker room, number two, and I've seen a very close-knit unit in that locker room, a lot of guys that know how to practice. They know how to practice the right way.</p><p>“It's been really a lot of fun in training camp. I really enjoyed being around the guys, and you could see the camaraderie and the togetherness in this football team. I'm looking forward to see them go and compete in front of our fans.”</p><p>And, for the most part, vice versa.</p><p><i>Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com. And follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.</i></p>